Udupi : The President appreciated the efforts of Dr B R Shetty in providing a super speciality hospital to the Udupi people and emphasised the need to provide quality healthcare in the country’s rural areas.

He was speaking after laying foundation stone of the A. Shambhu Shetty Memorial Haji Abdullah Super-speciality Hospital at Rajangana Hall in the Sri Krishna Mutt on Sunday, Mr. Mukherjee said that in healthcare, the country was rather backward in terms of number of doctors, nurses, hospitals and super-speciality hospitals.

In advanced countries, there is one doctor for 1,000 persons. But in urban areas in India, there is one doctor for 1,700 persons. The figure is worse in rural areas, the President said.

He said though there has been considerable advancement in medical science and research in critical areas, it has to be made available to a large number of people.

Expressing concern over the rising number of attacks on doctors, Mr. Mukherjee said there should be cooperation between doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and patients. “Sometimes you find that if a patient dies, angry mobs led by relatives vandalise hospitals and beat up physicians. This is wrong. No civilised society can tolerate this,” he said.

He added that when a patient is brought for treatment, the physician should try his best. “If you cannot trust your doctor, whom will you trust?” he asked.

There was curiosity over whether Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would accompany Mr. Mukherjee during the latter’s visit to the Sri Krishna Mutt/Temple here on Sunday. But as it turned out, the CM did not come at all.

Both Mr. Siddaramaiah and Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala were mentioned in the invitation for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the A. Shambhu Shetty Memorial Haji Abdullah Super-speciality Hospital. But neither turned up.

There is widespread speculation on why the CM was keeping away from the mutt, with it even linked to the demolition of a “gopura” at the temple complex in August, 2004.

Mr. Mukherjee also visited the 800-year-old Sri Krishna Mutt/Temple and offered prayers.

Later, Mr. Mukherjee visited the Sri Mookambika Temple at Kollur and offered prayers.

There was tight security on National Highway 66 as the President’s cavalcade travelled by road from Udupi to Kollur and back.